What color is it, today?

Nic Name • Mar 11, 2002 8:17 pm

Along with weather and traffic reports on the morning news ... look for the Director of Homeland Security to give you the green light to go about your business ... etc.

elSicomoro • Mar 11, 2002 8:26 pm

From the article: "Although the council hasn't decided what color to assign to our current status, it will start at least one level more hazardous than green in an effort to give the public hope of better days to come."

Nothing like the government to lift our spirits. :p

Nic Name • Mar 11, 2002 8:33 pm

Note that the choice of color will be a political decision ... so much for the OSI.

elSicomoro • Mar 12, 2002 9:57 pm

If you've ever been to the main page of my site, you'll notice that there's a little banner from Weather Underground that shows the time and temperature as reported at Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

So, what I was thinking...they should create a web graphic for this alert system! Sites all across the country could put it on their sites. Let's say you're flying from Tokyo to Chicago...and you happen to check out United Airlines's website to make sure your flight is on time. Then, you see that the US is at orange level. This allows you to take more precautions and be more aware of things around you.

I'm only being half-ridiculous. :)

Nic Name • Mar 12, 2002 10:22 pm

There are various alert systems currently in place, for functions ranging from transportation to the weather, and President Bush ordered a review that will place them under a single federal framework. Attorney General John Ashcroft will assign threat conditions in consultation with Ridge.

The Ridge Report for today:a manageable YELLOW :3eye:

[Edit] Since posting this, I noticed Tom Tomorrow has a similar take on this new system.

Tuesday, March 12, 2002
Good news

After six months, the Office of Homeland Security has made a substantive step toward ensuring our safety--with a system of color-coded threat assessments!

You can just imagine Tom Ridge staying up late, pouring over tapes of old Star Trek episodes. "Okay--red alert is more serious than yellow alert, right?"

At least now, the next time there's a threat they don't tell us about, it will have a corresponding color which we probably won't know about either.

damn, he's funny!

Nic Name • Apr 29, 2002 10:37 pm

By KEVIN McGILL, Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (April 29, 2002 6:33 p.m. EDT) - Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge told newspaper executives Monday that the color-coded alert system used to keep the nation apprised of the danger of terrorist threats may have to be "tweaked" in the days to come.

"There has been some criticism," Ridge said during the luncheon session of The Associated Press annual meeting. "Frankly, we had a 45-day comment period; we got a lot of good input ... We may end up tweaking it, based on recommendations that we've received from a lot of people around the country."

He did not specify what changes might be made but acknowledged the need for "a national vocabulary with standards that everybody can accept."

tw • Apr 29, 2002 11:01 pm

Originally posted by Nic Name
... look for the Director of Homeland Security to give you the green light to go about your business ... etc.

Does that green light also apply to Ariel Sharon?